The present invention relates to an information retrieval system to be installed in a vehicle, more precisely, to a system for transmitting data according to personally made selections to a user of the system when he arrives in the vicinity of a point of interest.
To facilitate navigating by a car to unfamiliar places, different types of navigation systems have been developed wherein, e.g. the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been used. By means of them, the user can determine his position and acquire useful information, e.g. on airports.
By combining a positioning system, e.g. with other information distributed through a digital radio network, it is possible to build systems that benefit those moving by car more comprehensively than ever, as has been described in patent application publication EP 785 535. There a user is supplied with traffic and city information, on a radio path, onto the display of his mobile communication device. Although it is possible to supply information from several different sources to the user, the information is always provided in a consistent manner according to the type of the information with buttons with which he can select, e.g. a map or other information for being displayed. However, the data are supplied for being displayed to the user at the initiative of the user, i.e. the user himself always initiates the process as a result of which information that is of interest to him will be presented. Thus, he does not get all the information he would like or, alternatively, the user himself has to search for the information that is of interest to him without knowing when such information possibly becomes available to him.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,549 presents a system by means of which advertising data on different kinds of points of interest are transmitted in connection with a radio transmission to a terminal installed in a moving vehicle. The data comprise the exact geographical position of the points of interest, as well as detailed advertising information provided by the advertising company. The terminal determines its own position by means of a GPS device and calculates its distance from each point of interest. The terminal can also filter the data into a specific type according to the user""s preferences. However, in the system, all the data therein are transmitted on a radio path as a continuous or repeated data flow even if no terminal was using them. In this way, the system wastes radio path capacity. As a result of this, the number of advertisements transmitted by the system is also limited because the data transfer rate on a radio path is normally quite low and it should be possible to send all the advertisements of the system one after another frequently enough so that the terminal utilising the system gets the required information on time. A positioning device installed in every vehicle also increases the costs of the system, especially the price of terminals.
The requirements set by safety and ergonomics should also be taken into consideration in all information retrieval and communication devices which are to be installed in a vehicle. Thus, vehicle devices should be as simple and easy to use as possible and the amount of interaction from the driver needed to use them should be minimised. Especially when a terminal installed in a vehicle places a large amount of information at the user""s disposal it is appropriate to arrange a consistent and easy way to control the most frequently used functions.
Now, a method and devices have been invented by means of which a mobile user can automatically be informed of geographical points of interest (POI) that are of interest to him, when specific threshold values are met and where the meeting of these values is monitored in a stationary ground station or stations. A user-specific terminal according to the invention comprises functionality of a mobile station by means of which the terminal can also be used with a mobile communication network for determining its position. Stations maintaining POI data are preferably fixed, located in a specific place but, alternatively, they can be placed, e.g. in a vehicle and connected to a mobile communication network using high-speed radio connection. According to the invention, data are collected on POIs in one or more databases, which are maintained in one or more ground stations. In addition, the mobility of the user is monitored if necessary in one or more ground stations and when the user arrives in the vicinity of any of the POIs, data on the POI in question are automatically transmitted wirelessly to his terminal, whereupon POI data are only transmitted when necessary. Of said stations, one or more can be in connection with one another or they can be integrated, and the stations can also be mobile although they preferably are fixed ground stations. In addition, the user can select his points of interest individually or in groups, he can select, e.g. service stations and local arts-and-crafts museums as his general points of interest. The user can preferably also himself set specific separation or travel time values on the POIs he has selected. When he is approaching a destination, which he has defined as being of interest to him and comes closer to it than a determined threshold separation, he will automatically receive an audiophonic and/or visual message. The message may contain, e.g. driving instructions, information on prices and opening hours, and other such information that has been input into the system by, e.g. the point of interest in question. A database of its own comprising POI data is preferably also arranged for the user terminal, which database the user can utilise without having to retrieve information wirelessly. Said own database can preferably be arranged to be updated using wirelessly received POI data, whereupon the need for wireless data transfer can be further decreased by the database. The user can also be offered in the destination""s contact information among POI data, whereupon the user can establish, if he so desires, a data transfer connection to the point of interest, in a consistent way independent of the point of interest, by using a mobile station that belongs to the system. The information intended for the user can also be real-time, whereupon relevant traffic reports can also be transmitted by the system.
It is characteristic of a method according to a first aspect of the invention for informing a mobile person of a geographical point of interest that is of interest to him by means of an information retrieval device, that it comprises
allowing said person to define with said information retrieval device at least one point of interest he desires and a threshold separation, the threshold separation being at least one of the following variables: distance and time,
repeatedly monitoring the position of said information retrieval device,
collecting available information on all such destinations as said person has defined with said information retrieval device as his desired points of interest and which are within said threshold separation from the location of said information retrieval device,
sending information on such destination to said information retrieval device, and
informing said person with said information retrieval device of this kind of destination.
It is characteristic of a method according to a second aspect of the invention for informing a mobile person of a geographical point of interest that is of interest to him with an information retrieval device, that is comprises
allowing said person to define with said information retrieval device at least one point of interest he desires and a threshold separation, the threshold separation being at least one of the following variables: distance and time,
repeatedly monitoring the position of said information retrieval device,
collecting available information on all such destinations as said person has defined with said information retrieval device as his desired points of interest and which are within said threshold separation from the location of said information retrieval device,
sending to said information retrieval device its position with a specific accuracy,
searching said collected data with said information retrieval device for such points of interest as are within said threshold separation from the position of said information retrieval device at the time in question, and
informing said person of this kind of destination.
It is characteristic of an information retrieval device according to the invention comprising positioning means for maintaining the position data of said information retrieval device, that said information retrieval device comprises:
input means for receiving the selection of at least one point of interest that is of interest to the user and at least one criterion of separation from the user of said information retrieval device, the criterion of separation being one of the following variables: distance and time,
a radio receiver for receiving data on at least one point of interest that meets a specific criterion of separation,
a memory for storing the received data, and
output means for presenting said data.
It is characteristic of a server according to the invention, comprising processing means, for the use of the server being arranged a first database comprising a set of records each having at least one field, and the server comprising data transfer means by means of which it is arranged to be connected to at least one base station of a mobile communication network for transferring at least one record field to at least one information retrieval device, that
said records comprise data on destinations which are specific geographical POIs,
said data transfer means are arranged to receive the position of said information retrieval device,
said processing means are arranged to screen from said database relevant records that meet specific criteria,
said data transfer means are arranged to transmit from at least one of said relevant records at least one field to said information retrieval device, and that
of said criteria, at least one is a criterion of separation relating to the separation between said information retrieval device and a geographical POI, the criterion of separation being one of the following variables: distance and time.
It is characteristic of an information retrieval system according to the invention that it comprises
a mobile communication network, an information retrieval device and a server to be connected thereto, as well as a first database comprising a set of records which comprise data on points of interest, the points of interest being specific geographical POIs and each record having at least one field, and one of the fields being the position of said destination,
positioning means for determining the position data of said information retrieval device,
first data transfer means for sending the position data of said information retrieval device to said server,
that said server comprises:
screening means for screening from said database relevant records that meet specific criteria,
said data transfer means being arranged to send from at least one of said relevant records at least one field to said information retrieval device, and
that said information retrieval device comprises:
a radio receiver for receiving data on at least one POI,
a memory for storing the received data, as well as
output means for presenting said data.
In a navigation and communication system according to a first aspect of the invention, a terminal comprises means for searching available POI data for destinations that are of interest to the user and in the vicinity of the user. The position of the user terminal and the user selected POIs or their classes, as well as the common or individual criteria of separation selected for them are transmitted, e.g. through a mobile communication network to a POI server maintaining a POI database produced from POI data. The POI database has data on different POIs, such as the name, the phone number of each destination, possibly some criteria of the advertiser, such as the period of validity which, in case the POI is a firm, may correspond to the opening hours of the firm in question, and preferably also an index to speed up the information retrieval. The database may also contain one or several of the following POI data: POI class, electronic map, WEB address, e-mail address, street address and the geographical co-ordinates of the POI. The POI server retrieves from the POI database the data on the destinations in the vicinity of the user which are of interest to the user and, of these relevant POI data, transmits to the terminal at least their names, preferably also the indexes and the criteria of the advertiser. Alternatively, the terminal only sends the POI server a request to get POI data, and the server transmits to the terminal all POI data or merely those selected on the basis of the user""s position or the points that are of interest to the user. In this case, the operation of the POI server becomes substantially easier although the need for data transfer probably increases. When the POI server selects POI data on the basis of the user""s position, it is possible to send, of the POI data, e.g. a database established for a single area, in its entirety, whereupon the regional division can preferably conform to, e.g. the operating area of the base station controllers of the mobile communication network used other corresponding regional division.
However, the POI server may transmit to the terminal one or more POI records completely or partly. From these data, provided by the POI server, the terminal searches for destinations in the vicinity of its user which destinations the user has defined as being of interest to him, and when such a destination is found, the user can select one or more to be presented, whereupon the terminal presents more detailed information on the POI or POIs. Alternatively, if the POI server has only transferred to the terminal part of the POI data, the terminal can ask, e.g. through the mobile communication network, the POI server for additional data on the POI or POIs selected by the user. In this case, the POI server retrieves the requested additional data and, on finding them, sends them to the terminal, which then presents them to the user.
The terminal may also comprise a POI database of its own, e.g. on a CD-ROM disk, and it may have, in its scratch pad memory, POI data that it has already earlier received wirelessly from the POI server. In this case, it preferably searches the last received POI data and the POI data in its memory and/or mass storage for those data that meet all the criteria set, and informs the user of them.
In an information retrieval system according to a second aspect of the invention, a POI server is provided with the position of a terminal and the POI settings of a user. The POI server searches for the relevant POI data, i.e. POI data that meet the criteria of both the user and the advertiser, and transfers them on a radio part to the user terminal, which receives the data and informs the user of them. The user can then select one or several of these for being presented, whereupon the terminal presents more detailed information on the POI or POIs selected by the user. Thus, the terminal does not search for POI data according to user-specific criteria.
In a navigation and communication system according to a third aspect of the invention, POI data are transmitted continuously or at short intervals on a radio path by means of a radio transmitter. A terminal which in within the range of coverage of the radio transmitter retrieves from these data the POI data on the POIs in the vicinity of the user that are of interest to the user and informs the user of the availability of such data. The user can then select one or several of these for being presented and get more detailed information on the POI or POIs. In this form, the POI server does not search for POI data according to criteria.
In a navigation and communication system according to the invention, the position of a terminal is preferably determined by positioning the terminal connected to a mobile communication network, which is done by bearing by means of base stations. In future cellular networks, the cell size will be decreased to increase the capacity of a mobile communication network, and base stations will be capable of determining the position of a terminal in their coverage area, connected to the network, i.e. typically, a terminal which is on, more and more accurately, even with an accuracy of 150 meters. In addition, e.g. a densified radio receiver network bearing mobile station transmission can be used with the receivers of base stations of the actual mobile communication network for focusing the bearing.